Lighthouses of the United States: Alaska

The U.S. purchased the vast territory of Alaska from Russia
in 1867. However, there were no lighthouses in the territory until late
in the 1800s, when the discovery of gold in Canada's neighboring Yukon
Territory brought a rush of settlers and commerce to the southeastern
coastal region. Eldred Rock Light is the only survivor from the first
series of quickly-built wooden lighthouses. The other early lights were
replaced in the 1920s and 1930s by an interesting group of Art Deco concrete
towers.

Many of the lighthouses of southeastern Alaska have been transferred
to local preservation groups, but there is no statewide preservation
society. Because of Alaska's vigorous and generally wet climate, lighthouse
restoration and maintenance is a major challenge.

Navigational aids in the United States are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, but ownership (and sometimes operation) of historic lighthouses has been transferred to local authorities and preservation organizations in many cases.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS
World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from Volume G of the
Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. USCG numbers are
from volume 6 of the U.S. Coast Guard List of Lights.

1935 (station established 1905). Active; focal plane 86 ft (26
m); white flash every 6 s. 66 ft (20 m) square cylindrical reinforced
concrete tower with lantern, attached to an oil house; solar-powered
VRB-25 lens (1977). Lighthouse is white concrete; lantern painted
red. The lantern was transferred from the 1905 lighthouse. The original
4th order Fresnel
lens (1905), removed in 1968, is on display at the Tongass Historical Museum in Ketchikan. One of the three former keeper's houses survives, but in poor condition. Trabas has Boucher's aerial photo (also seen at right), and a 2009 view from sea is available, but Google has only a distant satellite view of the area and clouds block Bing's satellite view. The Coast Guard has a photo of the original lighthouse, and Lighthouse Digest has Anderson's 2012 article on the station's history. In November 2004 the light station was added to the National
Register of Historic Places. Now gravely endangered by lack of maintenance, the lighthouse was added to the Lighthouse DigestDoomsday List in 2014. Located on the mainland overlooking
the Revillagigedo Channel about 6 miles (10 km) north of the
Canadian border, within the Misty Fjords National Monument (part of the Tongass
National Forest). Accessible only by boat or float plane;
best seen from the Inland Passage or on air tours from Ketchikan. Site open, tower closed.
Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS ALK-012; Admiralty
G6002; USCG 6-21840.

Black Rock

Date unknown (station established 1917). Active; focal plane 55
ft (17 m); white flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) square skeletal tower carrying diamond-shaped daymarks colored in a red and white checkerboard pattern. Darlene Chisholm contributed a photo, and Bing has an indistinct satellite view of the islet. Located
on a rock about 7 mi (11 km) southeast of the Mary Island lighthouse.
Accessible only by boat, but there should be a good view from
ships on the Inland Passage. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site
manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Admiralty G6004; USCG 6-21930.

1937 (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 76 ft (23 m); white
flash every 6 s. 61 ft (18.5 m) square cylindrical reinforced concrete tower
on the roof of square concrete fog signal building; 250 mm lens. The original
4th order Fresnel
lens is on display at the Juneau-Douglas
City Museum in Juneau. All the other station buildings have been demolished. The lighthouse is reported to be in poor condition.
Trabas has Boucher's photo, a 2009 photo is available, and Bing has a satellite view. Located on the northeast coast of Mary Island in the Revillagigedo Channel
south of Ketchikan. Accessible only by boat or float plane, and landing
is not easy. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast
Guard. ARLHS ALK-009; Admiralty G6006; USCG 6-21940

Tree Point Light, Revillagigedo Channel, about 2010photo copyright Michael Boucher; used by permission

1946 (Defoe Shipbuilding, Bay City, Michigan). Deactivated in 1971 and reported to be scrapped. 128
ft (39 m) two-masted steel lightship; beam 9 m (30 ft); lantern on the front
mast. Ship painted white. Tom LeCompte has contributed photos taken in 2004, Larry Myhre has a 2009 photo, and Google has a satellite view. The ship served at Pollack Rip and Nantucket Shoals in Massachusetts
before being transferred to Umatilla Reef, Washington, in 1961. Long forgotten
by lighthouse fans, the vessel was rediscovered by the Lightship Sailors
Association in 2000. The Coast Guard has the history of the vessel's service. The ship was bought
by Tom Faro, owner of Southeast Stevedoring, as a remote longshore camp
for crews loading log ships. The ship was formerly moored at Pennock Island
across the harbor from Ketchikan, but Anderson reports that in August 2007
it was moved to a new location north of the Ketchikan airport. When Darlene Chisholm visited Ketchikan in 2016 the ship was not present, and she was told that it had been scrapped. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS ALK-013.

1924 (station established 1904). Active; focal plane 74 ft (22.5 m); white
flash every 10 s. 30 ft (9 m) square cylindrical reinforced concrete tower
with lantern and gallery, centered on the roof of a square concrete oil
house; DCB-24 aerobeacon. Lighthouse is white concrete; lantern painted
black. The keeper's house and other light station buildings were demolished
in 1973. Trabas has Boucher's photo (also seen at right), Larry Myhre has a photo, the Shanklins have aerial photos,
Randal Byrd has a photo, and Google has a satellite
view. SitNews, the Sitka newspaper, has a feature
article on life at the station in the 1950s. The Coast Guard has a photo of the original lighthouse. In January 2004 the light station was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. A preservation group, Guard
Island Heritage, was formed to seek ownership of the light station under NHLPA. Lighthouse Digest has Jeremy D'Entremont's 2001 article on the start of these efforts, as well as another photo. The group had plans for restoration and tourist development, but there have been no reports of recent activity. Located
on a island in the entrance to the Tongass Narrows from Clarence Strait,
9 miles (15 km) northwest of Ketchikan. Accessible only by boat or float
plane; boat tours from Ketchikan
are available in the summer. There is a very distant view of the lighthouse from a turnout on the Tongass Highway (AK 7) north of Ketchikan (bring your binoculars). Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager:
U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS ALK-008; Admiralty G6046; USCG 6-22300.

Date unknown (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 58 ft (18 m); white
flash every 6 s. Approx. 30 ft (9 m) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower
built on the large concrete base of the 1903 lighthouse. Darlene Chisholm contributed a photo, and Google has a fuzzy satellite
view. The original lighthouse was abandoned in 1909 after being damaged
by a storm. In 1911 a manned fog signal station was built on Lincoln Island
about 440 yd (400 m) northeast of the rock, and a skeletal light tower
was placed on the rock. The fog signal station was demolished after being deactivated
in 1968 and only foundations of the buildings remain on the island (Google has a satellite view) along with the skeletal
tower on the rock. Lighthouse Digest has historic photos, including a 1940s photo of the skeletal tower. Located at the western end of Clarence Strait about 55 miles (90
km) northwest of Ketchikan. Accessible only boat. Site and tower closed.
Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS ALK-024; Admiralty G6105;
USCG 6-22470.

1932. Active; focal plane 96 ft (29 m); white flash every 5 s.
76 ft (23 m) square cylindrical reinforced concrete tower with lantern
and gallery, mounted on the roof of a square concrete fog signal
building; solar-powered VRB-25 aerobeacon (1996). The original 3rd
order Fresnel
lens is on display at the Clausen Museum in Petersburg. The lighthouse is white concrete; the
lantern is painted black. A Coast Guard photo is at right, NWS
Juneau has two photos,
Anderson has a fine page with good photos,
the Shanklins have a portfolio of aerial
photos, and Bing has a satellite view. In 2004 ownership of the lighthouse was transferred
to the Cape Decision Lighthouse Society, which is working to
restore the light station. In 2005 the station was added to
the National Register of Historic Places. A state grant of $18,048 supported repairs to the windows of the lighthouse in 2015. Located at the southern
end of Kuiu Island at the point between the entrances to the
Chatham and Sumner Straits. Accessible only by boat or float
plane. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Cape
Decision Lighthouse Society. ARLHS ALK-001; Admiralty G6286;
USCG 6-1020.

Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 50 ft (15 m); continuous
red light. 42 ft (13 m) octagonal wood tower with lantern and gallery, attached
to a 1-story wood bed and breakfast inn. Duane and Shirleen Hymas have a good
2006 photo,
Lisa Drummond has a 2008 photo,
and Bing has a satellite
view. The lighthouse marks the Rockwell Reef, 100 yards (90 m) offshore.
In 2010, the inn and lighthouse were for
sale for $1.5 million; by 2013 the price had been reduced to $799,000. Located on Rockwell Island in Sitka harbor, about
3/4 mi (1.2 km) south of the city's waterfront. Accessible only by boat. Site
and tower open, at least to guests of the inn. Owner/site manager: Rockwell
Lighthouse. ARLHS ALK-017; Admiralty G6393; USCG 6-24955.

1935 (station established 1902). Active; focal plane 81 ft (24.5 m); white
flash every 10 s. 68 ft (20.5 m) square cylindrical reinforced concrete
tower with lantern, centered on the roof of a square 1-story concrete keeper's
house; solar-powered VRB-25 aerobeacon (1997). Lighthouse is white concrete;
lantern painted black. One of Alaska's two oldest light stations. Anderson
has an excellent page
for the lighthouse, Bob Mattson has a good photo,
and Bing has a satellite view.
Preservationists from Juneau are working to restore the light station; a
1999 grant through the State of Alaska helped provide visitor access. In
2004 ownership of the light station was transferred to the preservation
group, and the lighthouse was added
to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2011, the station became a summer base for whale researchers. Located on a small island in
Frederick Sound on the approaches to Juneau. Accessible only by boat or
float plane. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Juneau
Lighthouse
Association (Five Finger Lighthouse). ARLHS ALK-007; Admiralty G6342; USCG 6-23280.

1935 (station established 1902). Active; focal plane 86 ft (26
m); white flash every 10 s. 51 ft (15.5 m) square cylindrical reinforced
concrete tower with lantern, rising from the front of a square concrete
fog signal building; solar-powered VRB-25 aerobeacon (1997). The
original 4th order Fresnel lens is on display at Alki Point Light
in Seattle, Washington. The lighthouse is white concrete; lantern
painted red. The keeper's house was burned
in 1971. Kenneth Gill's photo is at right, Trabas has Boucher's photo, another good closeup is available, and Bing has a satellite view. One of Alaska's two oldest light stations. In 1998
a preservation group leased the lighthouse and opened it for custom
day tours or overnight visitors. The society plans to establish
a Southeast Alaska Maritime Interpretive Center. In April 2004 the
light station was transferred
to the Gastineau
Channel Historical Society under the National Historic Lighthouse
Preservation Act. Located
on an island at the northern end of Favorite Channel about 25 miles
(40 km) northwest of Juneau. Visible from AK 7. Accessible only
by boat or float plane. Transportation to the light station can
be arranged by Auke
Bay Landing Craft, and the historical
society offers tours during the summer months. Site and tower open
for guided tours, group events, and overnight stays by appointment
(call 907-586-5338). Owner/site manager: Gastineau
Channel Historical Society . ARLHS ALK-011; Admiralty G6538; USCG 6-23850.

1923 (station established 1904). Active; focal plane 63 ft (19
m); white flash every 6 s. 25 ft (7.5 m) square cylindrical reinforced
concrete tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on the roof of
a square concrete fog signal building. The original lantern was
removed in the 1950s but replaced by a replica in 2004. Solar-powered
300 mm lens. Lighthouse is white concrete; lantern painted black.
1-1/2 story wood keeper's house; a second keeper's house was demolished
in 1966 to make way for a helicopter landing pad. Sharon Johnson's
photo is at the top of this page, Anderson has an excellent page
with good photos, Trabas has Boucher's photo, Larry Myhre has a distant view, and Bing has a satellite view of the station.
In 2000 a dispute broke out over ownership of the light station;
the Alaska Lighthouse Association wants to develop the site as a
tourist attraction, but its plans were opposed by the U.S. Forest
Service. ALA sought 1505 acres (609 ha) surrounding the lighthouse,
and the administration wanted to lease only 10 acres (4 ha). In
2002, the 1505 acres were transferred to the ownership of the Association
by act of Congress. ALA plans to locate a bed and breakfast in the
keeper's house. In 2002, all the buildings were repainted by ALA
volunteers. In July 2003 the lighthouse was added to the National
Register of Historic Places. A replica of the original lantern room was under construction in 2010-11 and should be installed during the summer of 2011. Located
at the northernmost point of Admiralty Island west of Juneau, overlooking
the entrance to the Lynn Canal. In 2004 a replica of the original
lantern room was installed. Accessible only by boat or float plane.
Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Alaska
Lighthouse Association. ARLHS ALK-010; Admiralty G6528; USCG
6-23955.

1981 (station established 1904). 6 m (20 ft) post, also carrying
two diamond-shaped daymarkers painted in a red and white checkerboard
pattern. The 1-1/2 story wood keeper's house of the original light
station survives nearby in poor condition. Trabas has Boucher's photo, and Bing has a distant satellite view. The original lighthouse
was automated and reduced to a minor light in 1917. In 1932 it was
replaced by a buoy offshore and presumably demolished. The present
light stands on the original foundation. Located on a headland on the
east side of the Lynn canal about 40 mi (65 km) northwest of Juneau.
Accessible only by boat. Site open. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard (tower)
and U.S. Forest Service (keeper's house). Site manager: Tongass
National Forest. ARLHS ALK-015; USCG 6-23865.

1905. Active; focal plane 91 ft (28 m); white flash every 6 s. 56
ft (17 m) octagonal cylindrical wood tower with lantern and gallery,
centered on the roof of 2-story octagonal wood keeper's house; solar-powered
250 mm lens. The original 4th order clamshell Fresnel
lens was cleaned in 2001 and is on display at the Sheldon
Museum in Haines. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery
black; the keeper's house roof is a conspicuous red. Rob Evans's photo
appears at right, Anderson has an excellent page for
this lighthouse, Trabas has a good photo by Boucher, Arthur Chapman has a fine 2009 photo of the station, and Bing has a satellite
view. This is the oldest lighthouse in Alaska and the only survivor
of a series of octagonal frame lighthouses built in the state between
1902 and 1905. The lighthouse has been reported to be in disrepair,
but in 2005 the Coast Guard painted the building, fixed the roof, and
did other minor maintenance. The museum formed the Eldred Rock
Lighthouse Committee to work for its restoration and hopes to request
ownership under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
These plans have been held up by the U.S. Forest Service, which has
refused to relinquish the land on which the station stands. The Committee has now become the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association. Located
in the Lynn Canal on the approaches to Haines. Accessible only by boat
or float plane. Site and tower closed. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site
manager: Sheldon Museum and
Cultural Center. ARLHS ALK-006; Admiralty G6543; USCG 6-23880.

1925. Active; focal plane 105 ft (32 m); white flash every 10 s. 25 ft
(7.5 m) square cylindrical reinforced concrete tower with lantern and gallery,
centered on the roof of a square concrete keeper's quarters and fog signal
building; solar-powered VRB-25 aerobeacon (1998). The original 3rd order Fresnel
lens, removed in 1974, is on display at the Alaska
State Museum in Juneau. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery
black; the keeper's house roof is a conspicuous red. NWS Juneau has two photos,
Gabe Emerson has a view from the sea, Mike Criss has an aerial photo, and Bing has a satellite
view. Located on the north side of the entrance to Cross Sound,
the western approach from the Pacific to Juneau and Haines. Accessible
only by boat or float plane. Site and tower closed. Owner: U.S. Coast
Guard. Site manager: U.S. National Park Service (Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve).
ARLHS ALK-004; Admiralty G6508; USCG 6-1070.

1916. Active; focal plane 85 ft (26 m); white flash every 10
s. 55 ft (17 m) square cylindrical reinforced concrete tower with
lantern and gallery, rising from the corner of a square concrete
fog signal building; solar-powered VRB-25 aerobeacon (1998). The
original 3rd order Fresnel
lens is on display at the Cordova
Historical Museum in Cordova. 3-story brick keeper's quarters.
The lighthouse is white concrete; lantern painted red. Rasmus Velling's photo is at right, Anderson has a fine page for
the lighthouse,
the Coast Guard has a dramatic historic photo, Lighthouse
Digestfeatured the
lighthouse in December 2000, and Google has a satellite
view. One of the
most remote of all U.S. lighthouses. Endangered: the Shanklins found the lighthouse in poor
condition. A new preservation group began restoration in summer
2000 by repairing the roof of the keeper's quarters and renovating
the building for overnight stays. Meanwhile in Cordova, the 3rd order lens will be restored before being moved with the museum to the new Cordova Center. Located on the southwestern end
of Kayak Island, which juts 25 miles (40 km) into the Pacific southeast
of Prince William Sound. Accessible only by boat or helicopter.
Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Cape
St. Elias Lighthouse Keepers Association. ARLHS ALK-005; Admiralty
G6582; USCG 6-1100.

late 1970s. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 26 ft
(8 m); continuous white light. 18 ft (5.5 m) octagonal tower with
a small lantern centered on an observation deck at the top. Anderson
has two photos,
the Shanklins also have a photo, Lighthouse
Digest has Jeremy D'Entremont's article on
the lighthouse, and Bing has a distant satellite
view. This is the northernmost lighthouse in the U.S. It was
built by Bob and Rose Arvidson, the original owners of the Cordova
Rose Lodge. The current owners, Gaye and Gary McDowell, refurbished
the lighthouse after buying the property in 1998. Located at 1315
Whitshed Road southwest of the Cordova waterfront. Site open, tower
status uncertain. Owner/site manager: Cordova
Rose Lodge. ARLHS ALK-018; Admiralty G6646; USCG 6-25625.

1934 (station established 1910). Active; focal plane 235 ft (71.5 m); white
flash every 15 s. 67 ft (20 m) octagonal cylindrical reinforced concrete
tower with lantern, attached to concrete fog signal building; solar-powered
VRB-25 aerobeacon (1998). Lighthouse is white concrete; lantern painted
black. 1-story reinforced concrete keeper's house. The original 3rd order Fresnel
lens, removed in 1967, is on display at the Valdez
Museum in Valdez. The museum has proposed to build a replica of the
earlier (1910) light tower in downtown Valdez. A distant view from the sea is available, and the Coast Guard also has a historic
photo, but Google has only a very distant satellite view of the cape. Located
on the east side of the entrance to Prince William Sound from the Pacific about 65 miles
(105 km) south of Valdez. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S.
Coast Guard. ARLHS ALK-002; Admiralty G6592; USCG 6-1125.

Kenai Peninsula Lighthouse
* Homer
Spit

Date unknown (before 1964). Active; focal plane 34 ft (10.5 m); green flash
every 6 s. Approx. 26 ft (8 m) octagonal wood-shingled tower with lantern,
mounted atop a 2-story motel. Building and tower painted gray, lantern red.
The lantern is empty; the light is displayed from a short post on the lantern
roof. A photo is available, Bing has a satellite
view, and the lighthouse also appears in a historic
photo showing damage to the area following the 1964 Cook Inlet earthquake
and tsunami. Homer is a town on the north side of the entrance to Kachemak
Bay from Cook Inlet, south of Anchorage. Homer
Spit is a 4.5 mi (7.5 km) gravel bar that extends across more than
half the mouth of the bay. At the southeast end of the spit is a harbor,
a ferry terminal of the Alaska
Marine Highway,
and a resort. The lighthouse is at the extreme end of the spit. Note: ARLHS
incorrectly identifies this light with the faux lighthouse at the nearby Salty
Dawg Saloon. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Land's End Resort. ARLHS ALK-025; Admiralty G6708;
USCG 6-26200.

Unimak Island Lighthouses
Note: Unimak, the largest and easternmost island of the Aleutian Islands, is separated
from the mainland of the Alaska Peninsula by only a very narrow channel on the east end of the island.
The much wider strait of Unimak Pass, at the western end of the island, is the principal route for vessels
between the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. The historic
light stations of Scotch Cap and Cape Sarichef guide vessels through the
pass.

Date unknown (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 110
ft (33.5 m); white flash every 6 s. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) square skeletal
tower with an open lantern and gallery. No current photo available, but Google has a satellite view of the station. The second Scotch Cap Light,
built in 1940, was destroyed by a tsunami
on 1 April 1946, killing its 5 crew members. Dennis Dowling has
an
account
of this disaster, the worst ever to befall a U.S. light station.
In 1950, a fog
signal building with a light on a short tower replaced
the destroyed lighthouse; this structure has now been replaced by
a skeletal light tower with no fog signal. Steven Bonnell's photo,
at right, shows the ruins of the lost lighthouse; he also has a
photo of the memorial
plaque.
The original
lighthouse was a hexagonal wood tower centered on a
1-story keeper's house. Located on the southwestern coast of Unimak
Island marking the southern entrance to Unimak Pass. Site closed.
Site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS ALK-016; Admiralty G6912; USCG
6-1220.

1950 (station established 1904). Inactive since 1979. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) short hexagonal tower mounted at one end of a white rectangular
fog signal building. The active light (focal plane 170 ft (52
m); white flash every 2.5 s) is on a skeletal tower. No current photo available, but Bing has a satellite view of the station. Lighthouse Explorer's
1995 photo, contributed by Robert Deering, shows the skeletal tower in front of the 1950 lighthouse. This building was demolished in 1999. The original
lighthouse was a hexagonal wood tower centered on a 1-story keeper's
house. Located on
the northwestern coast of Unimak Island marking the northern entrance
to Unimak Pass. Site closed. Site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS
ALK-003; Admiralty G6916; USCG 6-1230.

Scotch Cap Light and ruins of the 1940 lighthouse,
1973photo copyright Steven Bonnell;
used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses

Fairway
Island (1904-1917), Peril Strait. There is no longer a light at this location. ARLHS ALK-021.

Point
Hope (1924-?), Arctic Ocean. There is no longer a light at this location. ARLHS ALK-023.

Sitka
(Baranof Castle) (1837-1877), Sitka. Established by the Russian government of Alaska. The "castle" burned in 1894. ARLHS ALK-022.

Salty
Dawg Saloon, Homer Spit, has a well-known lighthouse at the marina on the end of the spit; it is active
at least part-time but it is not recognized as an aid to navigation. Google has a street view, and Bing has a satellite view.